Six-run second inning sparks Nicholls to three-game series sweep of EIU

The Nicholls baseball team put on a hitting clinic in the second inning against Eastern Illinois University on Sunday afternoon at Ben Meyer Diamond at Ray Didier Field.

The Colonels sent 11 players to the plate, scoring six runs on seven hits, including three infield hits. Nicholls scored two of the runs on sacrifice flies and took advantage of an error to quickly blow the game open on the way to a 9-6 victory.

“We didn’t score any in the first. We’re trying to get ahead early, just like we did today. We got a little six spot in the second inning. We’re just trying to execute at-bat, runners on, move them over, sac flies, get the job done when they’re at third with less than two out. That’s really what our focus was this whole weekend, just trying execute in situations,” said Felix, who had two hits in the inning and drove in a total of three runs in the game.

Garrett Felix opened the inning with a single up the middle. Basiel Williams followed with a double to right field, scoring Felix, with Williams going to third when the EIU right fielder mishandled the ball.

Drake Anderson followed with an infield hit on a bunt attempt, but the Panthers shortstop had trouble getting the ball out of his glove and failed to make a throw to first base. Narvin Booker followed with an infield hit when he beat the throw to first base on a bunt attempt to load the bases.

A sacrifice fly to center field by Erick Ordonez produced the second run of the inning.

Kade Turner followed with a single to left to score Anderson. An infield hit by Parker Coddou loaded the bases.

Another sacrifice fly in the inning, this one by Edgar Alvarez made the score 4-0.

Alvarez’s hit chased EIU starter Casey Perrenoud. Aaron Biediger drew a walk off new Panthers pitcher Colton Cola to load the bases again.

Felix, who opened the inning with a single, drove in the final two runs of the inning on a double to left field and a 6-0 Nicholls lead.

“It’s always pretty cool when you get to hit twice an inning. That means the offense is rolling around, especially when you get to get, not one, but two hits in the inning and kind of drive in the runs for your team,” Felix said.

“We started out with a hit-and-run and then we went with the bunt and then we went with another bunt. and just. It’ just part of our game. Then we drove some balls and had some sac flies and really took advantage of just our execution, more so than what they didn’t do. We really executed at high level, really for the first time all weekend and obviously were off to the races then,” said Nicholls coach Mike Silva.

Nicholls (7-1) added two runs in the fourth inning on a run-scoring double by Biediger and a sacrifice fly by Felix.

A leadoff home run by Anderson in the fifth inning extended the Colonels’ lead to 9-0.

The six-run second inning seemed to produce more than enough runs for Nicholls until the Panthers (1-5) exploded for six runs in the top of the ninth against three Colonel pitchers.

Cole Poirrier, the third of five pitchers used by Nicholls in the game, started the inning on the mound.

Danny Infante opened the inning with a single past second base and Cade Zalewski followed with a base hit to left field. Robby Taul reached on a fielder’s choice, forcing out Infante for the first out of the inning.

Quade Peters singled to load the bases. A passed ball allowed Zalewski to score EIU’s first run of the game while the two other runners advanced a base.

Poirrier walked Dylan Drumke to load the bases, with Poirrier being replaced on the mound by Harper Jordan.

Eli Hill came up with a single up the middle, scoring two runs to make it 9-3. Lucas Loos followed with a three-run home run to make it 9-6.

Gavin Galy entered in relief of Jordan. He gave up a single to Cole Gober before getting Luke Melton on a called third strike, then enticing Infante to ground out to shortstop to end the game in earning his first save of the season.

“We were trying to get guys some work in that situation, and obviously, you got away from us there. It’s disappointing to see. We need a couple of those guys to help us out. In that situation, if they can’t execute, it’s hard to put them out there again, especially in a 9-0 game,” said Silva. “Obviously, we should have left the guy that was pitching out there. We’ve got two games in the middle of the week and then we go again on the weekend and trying to give an opportunity to get out there and pitch and backfired a little bit.

“We were able to get a sweep. Wins are hard to come by, series are harder, and sweeps are really difficult, so I’m proud of our guys. Offensively, I wish we could have run-ruled them. The run-rule was in effect today and we kind of sat on that nine-run lead.”

Staked to an early six-run cushion, Nicholls starter Michael Quevedo (1-0) cruised to the win by scattering four hits over five innings with one walk, while striking out five.

“I thought slider was good. It got me out of some good moments. A man on second base, I got two strikeouts on that. I thought, overall, just getting ahead of hitters really helped me out today,” Quevedo said.

“He filled up the zone. He went five innings, four hits, one walk and five strikeouts and really go back to look at last week (in the series against Sacred Heart) and he was in cruise control as well and the walks got him. He was able to command the strike zone today. When he does that, we feel like he is really tough,” said Silva.

Perrenoud (0-2) suffered the loss, allowing six runs on seven hits.

Nicholls 4, Eastern Illinois 0: Coddou, the Colonels’ leadoff hitter, knocked the second pitch from Panthers starter Eli Cartwright out of the park in the bottom of the first inning and the rest of Game Two of the series belonged to Nicholls on Saturday night.

Nicholls (6-1) scored in the second inning on a run-scoring double by Alvarez, added a run in the fifth inning on a home run by Felix.

The Colonels closed out the scoring in the eighth inning on a run-scoring single by Ordonez.

Devin Desandro (2-1), who pitched the final 6 2/3 innings picked up the win. He allowed no runs on three hits and struck out three.